The road user behaviour of New Zealand adolescents

Original article can be found at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13698478 Copyright Elsevier Ltd. DOI: 10.1016/j.trf.2009.09.002The present study aimed to describe the road user behaviour of New Zealand adolescents and to investigate the applicability of the Adolescent Road user Behaviour Questionnaire (ARBQ) to New Zealand adolescents. In total 944 adolescents were surveyed in the North and South islands of New Zealand. Factor analysis of the scale produced three factors which had acceptable internal reliability and were very similar to those found in the original research. The three factors were “unsafe crossing behaviour”, “playing on the road” and “planned protective behaviour”. This research also found that males and those who were at least part Maori were more likely to put themselves at risk by playing on the road. Furthermore, those who identified themselves as being part Maori also engaged in unsafe road crossing behaviour more often than Caucasian and Asian adolescents. Interestingly, only the interaction effect between age and sex was significantly related to engagement in planned protective behaviour. However, despite differences between New Zealand and England, and differences in the sample characteristics, the scale appeared to be measuring the same latent variables. Therefore, this research confirmed that the ARBQ is a useful tool for investigating the behaviour of adolescents on the road.Peer reviewe

Social desirability and self-reported driving behaviours: Should we be worried?

Original article can be found at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13698478 Copyright Elsevier Ltd.There is widespread use of self-report measures of driving behaviour in the traffic psychology literature, despite the frequent criticism that such measures are subject to social desirability bias. However, no research has yet investigated the more recently developed measures of driving anxiety and avoidance behaviour for socially desirable responding. Furthermore, relatively little research has investigated the issue of socially desirable responding on self-reported driver behaviour in general, and that which does exist has several shortcomings. The present study used a repeated measures design to assess the effect of social desirability on a measure of driving avoidance, the Driving and Riding Avoidance Scale (DRAS), and the Driver Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ). A sample of 228 undergraduate students completed the DRAS, DBQ and a measure of socially desirable responding in class, which constituted a public place, and then again 2 months later in the privacy of their homes. None of the DBQ items were significantly different across the two locations. However, two of the DRAS general avoidance items were higher in the public setting, perhaps demonstrating the effect of socially desirable responding on driving avoidance due to environmental or practical concern. Nevertheless, overall it appears as though the DRAS and DBQ are not particularly vulnerable to socially desirable responding, although further well-designed research on the effects of such bias on these and other self-report measures of driving behaviour should be undertaken.Peer reviewe

The burden of kidney cancer and its attributable risk factors in 195 countries and territories, 1990�2017

Kidney cancer globally accounts for more than 131,000 deaths each year and has been found to place a large economic burden on society. However, there are no recent articles on the burden of kidney cancer across the world. The aim of this study was to present a status report on the incidence, mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) associated with kidney cancer in 195 countries, from 1990 to 2017. Vital registration and cancer registry data (total of 23,660 site-years) were used to generate the estimates. Mortality was estimated first and the incidence and DALYs were calculated based on the estimated mortality values. All estimates were presented as counts and age-standardised rates per 100,000 population. The estimated rates were calculated by age, sex and according to the Socio-Demographic Index (SDI). In 2017, kidney cancer accounted for 393.0 thousand (95 UI: 371.0�404.6) incident cases, 138.5 thousand (95 UI: 128.7�142.5) deaths and 3.3 million (95 UI: 3.1�3.4) DALYs globally. The global age-standardised rates for the incidence, deaths and DALY were 4.9 (95 UI: 4.7�5.1), 1.7 (95 UI: 1.6�1.8) and 41.1 (95 UI: 38.7�42.5), respectively. Uruguay 15.8 (95% UI: 13.6�19.0) and Bangladesh 1.5 (95% UI: 1.0�1.8) had highest and lowest age-standardised incidence rates, respectively. The age-standardised death rates varied substantially from 0.47 (95% UI: 0.34�0.58) in Bangladesh to 5.6 (95% UI: 4.6�6.1) in the Czech Republic. Incidence and mortality rates were higher among males, than females, across all age groups, with the highest rates for both sexes being observed in the 95+ age group. Generally, positive associations were found between each country�s age-standardised DALY rate and their corresponding SDI. The considerable burden of kidney cancer was attributable to high body mass index (18.5%) and smoking (16.6%) in both sexes. There are large inter-country differences in the burden of kidney cancer and it is generally higher in countries with a high SDI. The findings from this study provide much needed information for those in each country that are making health-related decisions about priority areas, resource allocation, and the effectiveness of prevention programmes. The results of our study also highlight the need for renewed efforts to reduce exposure to the kidney cancer risk factors and to improve the prevention and the early detection of this disease. © 2020, The Author(s)

Experimentation and Stages of Acquisition for Tobacco Consumption in Spanish Adolescents

Original article can be found at: http://www.bentham.org/open/toaddj/openaccess2.htm DOI: 10.2174/1874941000801010001Peer reviewe

What does the driving and riding avoidance scale (DRAS) measure?

Original article can be found at : http://www.sciencedirect.com/ Copyright Elsevier [Full text of this article is not available in the UHRA]Driving anxiety can have a significant impact on everyday functioning and usually results in some kind of avoidance behaviour. The Driving and Riding Avoidance Scale (DRAS; Stewart, A. E., & St. Peter, C. C. (2004). Driving and riding avoidance following motor vehicle crashes in a non-clinical sample: psychometric properties of a new measure. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 42, 859–879) shows promise in the self-report assessment of the degree of such avoidance. The present study investigated the psychometric properties of the DRAS in a sample of 301 university students. Internal consistency for the DRAS was 0.89 and temporal stability over two months was 0.71. The factor structure of the DRAS supported the use of the general and traffic avoidance subscales but not the weather and riding avoidance subscales in the present non-clinical sample. However, a significant limitation of the DRAS is that it does not assess the reasons for driving avoidance, and is therefore not a measure of avoidance that is due to driving anxiety. Some items may be rated highly for practical reasons, such as avoidance because of increasing fuel and other costs associated with driving. Modified instructions for the DRAS should ensure that it measures anxiety-related avoidance behaviour.Peer reviewe

Expectations of efficacy, social influence and age as predictors of helmet-use in a sample of Spanish adolescents

Original article can be found at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/ Copyright ElsevierDespite the proven effectiveness of helmets in avoiding or reducing the severity of brain injuries and the law requiring their compulsory use, both by drivers and passengers of motorcycles, approximately 20% of Spanish adolescent motorcycle users do not wear them. This study analysed the pattern of motorcycle and helmet-use in a sample of Spanish adolescents (age range 14–17; n = 874) and the relationship this safety measure has with belief in its effectiveness and its use by friends and relatives. Overall more males than females ride motorcycles and this difference increased with age. Motorcycle drivers and passengers who always wear helmets consider them to be more effective than those who do not use a helmet all of the time. The best predictors of helmet-use among motorcycle drivers were their beliefs regarding the helmet-use of their friends and relatives. In the case of passengers, knowing that their friends always wear them and age were the best predictors of helmet-use. Programmes and campaigns promoting helmet-use must take into account the modelling effect of close referents or other role models in order to increase their effectiveness.Peer reviewe

Aberrant driving behaviours amongst New Zealand truck drivers

Original article can be found at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/ Copyright Elsevier [Full text of this article is not available in the UHRA]Research using the driver behaviour questionnaire (DBQ) has found that aberrant driving behaviours can be categorised into: errors, lapses and violations (and aggressive violations, depending on the version of the DBQ used). There is also extensive evidence that it is only the 'violations' score which is significantly correlated with, and predictive of, crash involvement. This consistency has been found both across different samples and different countries. However, recent research conducted on those driving cars in a work-related context has found a different factor structure and a different pattern of correlations with crash involvement. The present study extends this research by investigating the factor structure of the DBQ and the relationship between aberrant driving behaviour and crash involvement for a sample of truck drivers. Factor analysis yielded a four factor solution, that broadly replicated the four hypothetical factors (errors, lapses, violations and aggressive violations) found in the general driving population. Only the violations factor was found to be significantly predictive of crash involvement. This research provides evidence of the robust nature of the DBQ findings in populations other than the drivers of private motor vehicles.Peer reviewe

Mobile phone involvement, beliefs, and texting while driving in Ukraine

There is extensive evidence that using a mobile phone whilst driving is one of the biggest contributors to driver distraction, which in turn increases the risk of motor vehicle collisions. Whilst most of the developed countries have been trying to deter this behaviour through legislation, enforcement and educational campaigns, in Ukraine, where the road fatality rate is the highest in Europe, this issue has only recently become publicised. The present study examined psychological factors that are associated with hand-held mobile phone use while driving among a sample of Ukrainian drivers, in particular writing or reading a text message while driving. This included drivers’ behavioural, normative, and control beliefs relating to mobile phone use while driving, as well as the degree to which using a mobile phone is integral to one's everyday life (measured using the Mobile Phone Involvement Questionnaire; MPIQ). Almost one quarter to one third of the sample reported using their phone on a daily basis to write (22.2%) or read (38.2%) text messages while driving. A binary logistic regression showed that gender, higher MPIQ scores, perceived approval from family members, lower perceived likelihood of receiving traffic fines and less demanding traffic conditions were all significantly associated with mobile phone use while driving. These results suggest that dependence upon a mobile phone in everyday life may be an important factor to consider when developing interventions to reduce hand-held mobile phone use while driving

The pedestrian behaviour of Spanish Adolscents

Original article can be found at : http://www.sciencedirect.com/ Copyright The Association for Professionals in Services for AdolescentsAdolescent pedestrians are a particularly vulnerable group of road users. This research tested the applicability of the recently developed Adolescent Road user Behaviour Questionnaire (ARBQ) amongst a sample of 2006 Spanish adolescents. Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the full scale found that the original three factors did not adequately fit the data, but an acceptable fit was obtained for the shortened 21-item version of the scale. In line with research from the UK, the present study found that males reported more unsafe road crossing behaviour and playing on the roads, but there was no gender difference for engaging in planned protective behaviour. This research also confirmed that unsafe road crossing behaviour increased with age, while dangerous playing on the road and planned protective behaviours both decreased with age. The present study also confirmed that the ARBQ is a useful tool for investigating the safety-related behaviour of adolescents on the road.Peer reviewe